To Contract or Not to Contract

Some scholars do not like contractions and tell students to avoid forms like "don't," "aren't," "isn't," "couldn't," "wouldn't." Instead, they want students to write out the whole words: "do not," "are not," "is not" . . . and I suppose if they like it that way, they can have it that way, though it doesn't make much sense to me. (If you're writing for one of these old fashioned people, by all means write out your contractions.)

Part of the problem may be that contractions seem a little folksy, and scholars want to look erudite and un-folksy. Writers should be solemn, I suppose. But at least for me, this is a shakey, unpalatable rule.

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